#not *necessarily* canonical but I liked exploring the dynamic here so. hands it to you

[everybodyknows-everybodydies]

“So this is your College,” she says, without turning around. They haven’t spoken in—well, long enough to forget just how solid his presence feels, but not so long that she doesn’t recognize his step. He still stomps like a mammoth and drags his feet. Worse in the snow, always.

He comes to stand beside her, a professional distance from his shoulder to hers. “Impressed?”

It’s certainly meant to be impressive, at least—the stonework polished, gleaming; the towers academically tall. He’s had banners put up in too many places with a symbol she doesn’t doubt he designed himself. Waste of runework to shield that much delicate embroidery from the elements; they’ll be moved indoors well before Frostfall, she thinks to herself. “I noticed the statue.” He preens, the way his chest puffs out visible out the corner of her eye. Twitching a smirk, she says, “Funny you didn’t have it made of yourself, though.”

“Of course it’s—”

“Fellow they got to do it instead is obviously much too handsome.”

He splutters, tugs in irritation on one thick braid of his moustache. “You don’t have anything meaningful to say?”

“Hm.” She feigns deep contemplation. “What did you leave out of this one?”

“I didn’t leave anything out. If you’re here just to insult me, Ulfsild—”

“Someone’s got to remind you that you’re only a man while you’re signing your byline in titles, Archmage,” she says, light as the flakes freezing on her eyelashes. She breathes slow into her palms, curls the warmer air around her face to melt them again. Her fingers twinge. “And no one else seems particularly keen on doing the job. Kitchen?”

“It’s got a kitchen. You don’t like the title?”

“Makes you sound like a pompous ass, which is accurate, but I hadn’t thought you wanted everyone to know. Living quarters?”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“Library?” When he doesn’t answer, she barks a laugh, incredulous, and turns to look at him at last. He’s staring very pointedly at the central building and not at her. “Did you not put a goddamned library in your school, Shal?”

“There are plenty of shelves. Why would anyone borrow a book when they can just keep it for future reference—”

“You are going to kill me,” she says cheerfully. “I’ll laugh myself to death one day when you forget something important in your grand old quest to pluck down the stars. Watch, you’ll go to show off how easily you stride from here to Hammerfell in a single step, ready to revolutionize magical travel, and you’ll leave behind your own head because you didn’t think to cast down instead of up.”

“At least I’d have done it. More than some can say.” He’s silent for a moment, snow dusting his beard. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he’d oiled it just recently. He never did it this early in the week, though.

But. Well. Routines change just as well as people do, she supposes. She spells off the ache in her knuckles—comes back quicker than she’d like, these days—and shakes out her hands. Folds her arms and studies him. She needs to see his face for this part. “I read your piece on integrating runework during construction.”

He has the audacity to not so much as twitch a greying whisker at this. “Found it riveting enough to come discuss in person, did you? Nostalgic for old times?”

“I want my notes back.”

“You took,” he says evenly, “all your things already. Thirty years ago, you’ll recall.”

“You just happened, then, to remember exactly how I explicated the energy renewal process in layered stone—”

“Evidently, yes. Believe it or not, Ulfie, you do leave an impression.” His voice is dry. He flicks her an amused look, crosses his arms in perfect mirror of hers. “I’ll make a footnote in the reprint if it’s rankled you so much.”

“Footnote! You used my diagrams, Shal. From—” She shifts her jaw, finding it tight. She still spits sparks when she says the name, and the familiar static tingle in her teeth feels a warning. Instead, she takes a breath. “At least spell indeko right, you old fool. There’s no c.”

“What? Yes there is.”

“There’s not.”

“I’m not having this argument again.” He starts for the iron gate. “Come inside if you’re done and we can talk about anything else.”

She puts out a hand. He stops abruptly at the lock of the gate yanking into place with a horrible metal sound. “That’ll rust if you aren’t careful,” she says with a nod. “You really don’t ever learn, do you?”

He tips his head back, staring bleakly at the sky. “Let go of the gate.”

“Give me—whatever you kept. I told you I don’t want you using my notes. You put it at the wrong stage anyway, and I hope it was only in the paper and not in the construction here—though if you’re just going to give this one away to the first devil to dangle a promise in your face then maybe it doesn’t matter so much whether it stands or falls—”

“Let go of the gate,” he turns; “you’re going to break something.”

“Like you can’t put it together again,” she snaps.

“You know what I meant.”

Her hands are shaking. She doesn’t let go. “Swallow all the stars you want, Shalidor, but don’t pretend you’re here with the rest of us on the ground.”

“You don’t have to be on the ground. If you weren’t so damn myopic—” He cuts himself off, lifts a hand to sever her grip with a twist of his middle finger and his thumb, leaves her hands burning and claw-curled, rigid. The way he’s looking at her has her swallowing sparks again, running her tongue over her teeth. “Come inside. Stay here and do something great instead of theorizing yourself to death. Or at least let someone look at your hands. Is it worse?”

She huffs out a breath at a spasm in her palm. Stands up straighter. “You know we can’t work together.”

“You don’t even want to try?”

“No, Shal.” Shaking out her hands and tucking them into her sleeves, she closes her eyes for a moment. “I hope this one works out, I do. You don’t need me for that.”

He laughs. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t think so.” Gesturing to the gate, he says, “You’re welcome to search my rooms if you like. You won’t find anything in your hand, though, I promise.”

She doesn’t put much stock in his promises. Exhaustion presses at her shoulders: too much, again. She ought to go. Come back when she’s not dragging threads of magicka, fraying at every edge. But that would give him time to rearrange, so she shifts her jaw instead, makes her voice light. “Haven’t even seen the grounds and you’re inviting me up to your rooms.”

His eyebrows lift. “If you like.”

“Is the tall strapping statue model up there?” His face contorts—and despite herself, she feels her mouth pull into a grin.

#writing tag #Ulfsild #pops a bottle of champagne but it's actually just apple juice. WIZARD DIVORCE #not *necessarily* canonical but I liked exploring the dynamic here so. hands it to you #many many many years from now Kharish is in the courtyard staring at the statue like 'PLEASE explain about your ex-wife.' #she comes inside and tells Urag that didn't work bc the only thing that happened was she got the distinct impression the statue is wrong??

[apatheticlexicographer]

i'm about to get mauled ALIVE for saying this but here goes:

i think m'leven's relationship should be based on a mutually requited crush. both the implications it would have on their personal development as characters and the message it would send to the audience would be substantially more impactful, healthy, and progressive than if they only dated out of obligation. in fact, the thematic message of their relationship SIMPLY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE without a foundation of genuine romantic attraction.

still with me??? okay, good.

when shows deal with romance they tend to fall into the categories of either having pretty much every character shipped with every other character at some point, or of having the endgame ships be the most obviously pushed from the start. byler has definitely been built up from the start, but the majority of the show's audience didn't consider it as an option for canon until s4, when they started making it blatant. hell, a lot of people didn't even realize WILL was queer until s3 (again, when the show started to place heavy emphasis on it), and even then a lot of people thought he might be ace rather than gay.

mike and el, on the other hand, were practically the show's flagship couple for the first 2 seasons at least. it wasn't until s3 that their popularity started to dip and their relationship began to receive a lot more criticism. which makes sense, considering they hadn't actually been IN said relationship in the previous seasons. they had a couple of romantic interactions, sure, but we didn't see how they would interact *as a couple*. people obviously couldn't predict how their dynamic would actually pan out!!! that isn't to say that the negative aspects of their relationship were a bait-and switch, though: red flags were visible since at least s2, but they were far from being the focal point and a lot of shippers interpreted them as being cute (like el's jealousy over max).

having a show acknowledge the fact that the first person you get a crush on (because correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm pretty sure they're canonically each other's first crush???) isn't necessarily your ~soulmate~ is a great thing. even better when they go a step further, and play with the concept!!! the text of stranger things doesn't actually push m'leven as a paragon of romantic love. if you listen to what the other characters say about their (romantic) relationship, their opinions are entirely neutral/negative???

lucas teases mike about his crush in s1, but calls him hopeless in s3. hopper is out of line with how agressively he acts about their relationship, but the resolution of that character arc for him is about him acknowledging that he's been overbearing and accepting that he needs to let el grow up, and NOT some hammy realization that "what they have is true love, i was wrong to interfere!!!" max thinks their clinginess is sweet at first in s3, but she isn't very close with either of them. once she and el start to bond AND SHE LEARNS THAT EL HAS NO EXPERIENCE WITH ROMANTIC ATTRACTION OUTSIDE OF MIKE she encourages el to assert her own self-worth and dump him. [which... actually mirrors the progression of opinions in a lot of audience members??? 🤔🤔]

and those are just a few examples!!! i won't go on an exhaustive list, because honestly we'd be here all day.

furthermore, m'leven's steady downward trajectory is not the only instance of the show basically dunking on the trite expectation that a character's first love interest is automatically their happily-ever-after, AND the recurring motif that any relationships a character explores before their endgame ship are wrong because the alternate love interest is Bad.

dustin has his first crush (onscreen, anyway) on max in s2, but ends the season happy despite his sadness over rejection and later gets together with a girl who's basically his perfect match. in s3, robin confides to steve about how she was so far gone for tammy that she would cry into her pillow. in s4 she's able to laugh over just how bad her singing is without denying it, and is tentatively flirting with vickie. joyce was genuinely really happy with bob, but after having time to heal from the tragedy of what happened to him she's ready to move on with hopper.

again, not an exhaustive list. why??? because outside of m'leven, the only relationships where the characters ARE each other's first love interest are: lumax, whose entire arc together is about growing up as a couple (you know, the exact arc m'leven shippers pin on mike and el, as if it would make sense for 2 couples to have the same format and message...); stancy, which is only one prong of Love Triangle Hell and the controversy around it speaks for itself; and TED AND KAREN. WHO ARE POINTED OUT EXPLICITLY BY THE TEXT OF THE SHOW IN S1 NO LESS, TO BE AN EXAMPLE OF A WORST TIMELINE FUTURE THAT CHARACTERS DO NOT WANT TO REPEAT.

but if you're reading this, you already know all of that.

the point i'm trying to make is that stranger things shows a consistent palette of themes across all the relationships it portrays. i've obviously been going over the romantic ones, but this applies at least as much to the plationic bonds as well. those themes are of GROWING AND MATURING, of SHIFTING DYNAMICS, and of BECOMING SECURE IN YOUR PERSONAL INDEPENDENCE.

i'm sorry but to present a pair of characters with apparent mutual feelings; to elaborate on how dysfunctional their relationship is; and to ultimately reveal to the audience that actually they were both just confused, they never had feelings for one another in the first place and that's why their relationship didn't work out; sends an extremely mediocre message, to put it nicely. all the characters learn from that lived experience is "don't date people you don't have feelings for, and if you were unsure about how real those feelings were... get good???" meanwhile, all the audience learns from that VIEWED experience is "if the relationship doesn't work, it's because the people involved don't like each other enough." if byler goes on to be canon and is immediately much healthier, that only enforces that shitty message. in that situation the only reason THEIR relationship works while mike and el's didn't is that they actually have feelings for one another!!!

from a show which has explored complex arcs and messages with *LITERALLY EVERY OTHER RELATIONSHIP* they touch on, this would be beyond disappointing. particularly as the central message for the arc of 2 of the mainest main characters in the whole show!!!

on the other hand, to present a pair of young characters at the start of the show and flag them as having an obvious mutual crush; to allow them to explore that crush as a serious prospect; to have them realize that their relationship is dysfunctional; and to have them move on as friends; sends???

a great???

fucking???

message???

they both get to progress and move on as more enriched people than they would have been without their time in a relationship, and that is fucking wonderful.

el has a deeper understanding of romantic interactions based on actual lived experience and not just TV shows. she's able to develop into her fledgeling sense of identity more securely with the knowledge that relationships can change, and that's okay. not everything has to be forever.

mike understands how to process and manage his own feelings much better, and is equipped with a firsthand understanding of how a relationship can become emotionally dysfunctional without proper communication, making him ready to enter a new, healthier relationship. he has displayed the same overprotective behaviours towards will as he has to el, but he's begun to learn how to manage them so that he doesn't stifle his partner. after previously failing to communicate his feelings to both el and will in s3 when he fought with them, he's been making a deliberate point of doing so in s4. this didn't work with el when he tried to open up about his own experience with bullying, but it DID work with will when he admitted to his failings in balancing relationships.

are either of them finished in their personal arcs??? no, of course not!!! they're not even fifteen!!! but they have both grown as people, not in spite of their romantic relationship, but BECAUSE of it. you don't change as you grow up, so much as you start to understand yourself better. but self-discovery and subsequent self-acceptance CANNOT come without self-explaration.

it's okay to try things out, and it's okay if they don't end up being right for you.

meanwhile, the broader message about relationships that this imparts on the audience is an extremely important one. one which gets overlooked continually by storytellers in every industry. one which the show itself has brushed on, but not explored in depth.

one which fandom, in particular, likes to ignore.

ATTRACTION ≠ COMPATIBILITY

(...and that's okay!!!)

#hahaha i'm gonna get so much hate over this #preparing to lose a few followers tbh ToT i know a few of my moots and followers are Adamant gay mike truthers #jsyk i don't even dislike or necessarily disagree with gay mike??? #taps the *sexuality is a spectrum* sign #he can ID as gay AND he can have a crush on a girl. get kinsey scale'd #i mean i'm an unlabelled mike truther bht i'm favourable to either bi or gay interpretations #also!!! as an aro person who had crushes on guys and girls as a kid #i get legitimately very pissed off by just how adamantly ppl base their opinion on whether mike is gay or bi #in whether or not he had a 'real' crush on a girl at age twelve #i just don't say it bc i'm not usually in a controversial mood #anyways labels are social constructs. not in a sarcastic way that is LITERALLY WHAT THEY ARE. TEXTBOOK DEFINITION #have a nice day <333 #(all this is ofc assuming that anybody still reads long meta posts which is doubtful tbh 💀💀) #byler #mike wheeler #el hopper #anti mileven #mike wheeler analysis #el hopper analysis #byler analysis #byler theory #byler meta #stranger things #stranger things thoughts #stranger things theory #stranger things analysis #stranger things meta

[dewittwrites]

PARTNER HUNT.

Waddup! So I suck at talking about myself it’s a whole thing but I’m trying so here we go! The name is Roman, typically, buuuut I respond to nicknames and shortened versions of the name because… why not! I’m 33 old as fuck 😭 and I’m in the GMT timezone! I do not write with people under the age of 25. It’s my preference because of my age so please keep that in mind.

I write exclusively on Discord, and I have some wanted plots / faces / pairings beneath the cut! Because… why not just get into it. If you’re fancying anything with me, please be advised that I don’t do single muse RP servers, I make Forum Style Servers and then have a category / forum for each verse or era or genre etc. single muse servers just feel so wasteful. Anyway! My Discord for those interested is CountOliveira

- Anything mafia style / mafia based. Give me the titular Romeo & Juliet plot, the children of the opposing / clashing Bosses falling in love and secretly leading a life together. The Bosses who argue up a storm in public and fuck like pornstars in private. The fights for territory, the bloodshed, the death.

- The abducted falling in love with their captor. Money has exchanged hands but they won’t go back because they don’t want to leave their captor behind or see them go to jail… or worse. Kidnapping plots filled with seedy dubious scenes, mind games and manipulation.

- anything SUPERNATURAL. And not necessarily the show, just anything with supernatural creatures and beings! Hiding in plain sight, living a secret life, living out and proud and being hunted for their pride. The supernatural hunting the humans… anyone played Redfall?

- Dead by Daylight. Resident Evil. Red Dead Redemption. Dying Light. Dead Island. Stardew Valley. Coral Island. Some of my favourite games, gimme! Especially the Resident Evil. Gimme OCs, gimme our own spin on canons!

- T A B O O. Seriously I have so few limits with kink and smut and relationships. Hit me with your wants and desires and I’m willing to bet I’ll say yes!

- the Dom and Sub learning together. Exploring their kinks and their limits, how to navigate their dynamic together. What makes them tick.

- anything you want. I’m versatile and I’m an open book.

- MWP: Ronen Rubinstein x Rafael Silva. Matthew Daddario x Dominic Sherwood. Eiza Gonzalez x DJ Cotrona.

- MWF: pending!?

#discord rp #discord roleplay #discord rpg #discord 1x1 #discord mumu #1x1 roleplay #1x1 discord #smut 1x1 #smut rp #kink rp #dark rp #supernatural rp #mature rp #crime rp #multimuse rp

[ckret2]

youve gotten a few asks about billford before, and your plans for ford's relationship with bill in your fic, but im curious if you personally ship it yourself/*like* it. and, just for the hell of it, if you have any opinion on billdip too, since that one's even more controversial.

I'm gonna put most of this under a cut since it's not only long, but also long about two different topics, but the tl;dr is:

Yeah, I'm a fan of billford. I don't think it's canon, inevitable, or necessary to their dynamic, and I'm still on the fence about whether things will tilt toward the romantic in my fic or if it'll stay platonic, but I do enjoy the ship a lot because it has a lot of (obsessive, weird, unhealthy, angsty) elements that interest me to explore in ships. Billdip, on the other hand, does nothing for me. I don't care about how people ship imaginary characters in their fictional fandoms and I'm not gonna block anybody for liking it, so this isn't a moral stance, here—I just don't like it personally.

One of the things that intrigues me most about a ship is the idea of love that's gone so far it isn't even love anymore but punched out the other side into unhealthy obsession, and "I'll spend the next thirty years of my life hunting you to death" versus "What if I turn you into a gold statue and carry you around to stare at you a lot" sure fit right into "unhealthy obsession." On top of that, some of my favorite ship dynamics are:

the worshiper and the person they've picked to revere as their god, either metaphorically or literally—with bonus points if the person they've devoted themself to doesn't deserve that worship and maybe isn't even all that special, and the worship actually reveals more about the mind of the lover than it does about the (un)divine nature of the beloved

the mad scientist and the muse who gives them ideas and inspires their work (one of my all-time OTPs has a line where the mad scientist says to his ex "we were each the muse to the other"), with bonus points if they both get so caught up in "what can we do together? What dreams can we make reality—" that they plunge into full "so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should" territory—and bonus bonus points if they eventually come out of the haze of SCIENCE and one of them is horrified by what they've done... but maybe the other one isn't.

two people who are wildly compatible with each other (similar hobbies, tastes, worldviews! they fill in the gaps in each other's personalities! they each happen to be the other's type! they understand each other like no one else can! whatever, fill in the blank!), but for some reason one betrayed the other, they've tried to kill each other, and now things are vicious and bloody and painful and raw between them; but if they talk to each other and accidentally let their guards down for even a split second, all that history is still there, they still like the same stupid movies and share the same stupid inside jokes no one else will ever understand and have the same stupid complementary life dreams, they could have been good for each other, but there's no road back to where they were before the betrayal. Their chemistry is like two huge magnets strapped to land mines: the attraction is as powerful as ever but heaven help them both if they ever touch.

or, alternatively, two people that have all that chemistry, but are just really toxic and do bad things when they're together and enable all each other's worst tendencies, even if they don't necessarily do bad things to each other; and they've got to navigate the fact that they might adore each other so much but they are objectively worse people when they're together.

I like ships with inhuman things. As a writer I like waxing romantic about the inhuman things and trying to convince the reader that yes, this too is beautiful and lovable when seen through the eyes of a lover. I will make you take the stupidest love interest seriously for five minutes. I've romanticized a sticky pile of goo, I've romanticized a robot spider, I've romanticized the concept of being a disembodied voice, I've romanticized a pteranodon made out of lava, and I'll romanticize a cyclopic gold-plated corn chip too, don't test me. Who better to adore a sentient triangle than a scientist-artist who sees the beauty in precise angles?

Depending on the headcanons and/or AUs you're working with, you can get all of these pretty darn easily out of Billford.

I like writing Ford as the awed naive intellectual, hungry for knowledge, for the secrets of the universe, for more, who was utterly dazzled and starstruck by this divinity who tantalized him with esoteric secrets—and who's been furious at Bill for thirty years for betraying him, hurting him, threatening his home and everyone he loves, but underneath all that also furious at him for not being what he advertised when he could have been that; and Bill, meanwhile, playing it cool, far too comfortable playing the role of faux god, but privately, secretly distraught that his favorite "student"—the one who takes Bill's "teachings" and gets creative and inventive with them, the one who always wanted to know more, not just about the universe but about Bill personally—his favorite student no longer worships him, doesn't even respect him, doesn't even see him as an equal, but looks at him like he's the scum of the universe, and Bill won't even admit that it bothers him but it's killing him that nothing he does can get his favorite to so much as smile at him again.

That's the dynamic in my head when I write them. You could play it as purely professional, a god disappointed to lose a worshiper like a boss disappointed to lose his best employee or a celebrity disappointed to lose the president of his fan club; or you could play it like platonic friendship, maybe a QPR; or you could play it like a romance. I like the zest added when you toss romance into this already nasty mess of emotions. I like capping off all that heartache with, "—and if things had turned out differently, maybe I would have taken your hand and traveled with you to the ends of eternity, if only you weren't [such a brutal heartless backstabbing piece of shit]/[unable to forgive a few white lies and some light torture]."

Billdip, on the other hand, does absolutely nothing for me. Not even just for the age reason—that does squick me out, but even if I try to look at it like "okay pretend he's aged up" or "stick it in an AU where they're both dumb kids having dumb kid crushes" I just, see nothing there. I don't even see anything there platonically. Like, legitimately—for the fic I'm working on, I've been trying to figure out what kind of dynamic/interactions they'd have beyond just "Dipper scowls at Bill a lot" and even on that level I've been struggling to think of something compelling between them. I look back on the fact that for a good few years billdip was the ship in the fandom and I go, "why? where's the meat? what do they do for each other?"

I'm forced to imagine that the ship must have been based on some combination of "fandoms naturally want to ship the everyman main character with the charismatic fun villain," "a bunch of teens with crushes on Bill were using Dipper as their self-insert stand-in," and "people assumed Bill wasn't lying when he said Dipper impressed him and didn't start revising that opinion until we got to see firsthand that he uses lines like that on everybody." It feels really uncharitable of me to the shippers to assume that their OTP is founded entirely on statistically average fandom trends and character misinterpretations rather than, like, y'know, traits actually present in the characters, so I'm taking it on faith that there's probably more to it than that and I just don't see it because it just ain't my jam.

When I do try to speculate harder on "how would I get them to interact with each other in a compelling way, like, just in a platonic sense?" my brain starts going "well, dipper's a nerd who's into the paranormal, he wants to know about mysterious things? maybe he's fascinated with bill as a mysterious thing? and maybe... idk, why would bill give a hoot about dipper—maybe bill takes advantage of that fascination, tempts him with more information, maybe he's amused by Dipper's curiosity about weird things—?" and that's usually about the point where I go "this is just, the way Bill and Ford met. This is the watered-down junior version of Bill and Ford's first few weeks." In trying to figure out what the heck Bill and Dipper would even talk about I keep accidentally recreating a less interesting version of Bill and Ford's dynamic.

I want and need Bill and Dipper to have an interesting character dynamic in this fic so being unable to come up with something that personally compels me has been actively frustrating me lmfao, but it does serve to illustrate my main point here: man, billdip does nothing for me so hard that I can't even see them platonically interacting.

#billford #(not tagging the other ship because 'i don't like it and don't get it' feels kinda like hate and i don't wanna put hate in y'all's tag lmao #gravity falls #about my writing #anonymous #ask

[esther-dot]

For a while, until season 5, when I still thought Tyrion was a good man and never considered Jonsa as a couple, I thought Sansa and Tyrion could be a possible couple. A kind of Beauty and the Beast story. I know that parallel was made for Sandor and Sansa but I always found difficult to think of them as such and in political terms made no sense. Before Jonsa, who did you think Sansa would end up with ?

Oh, I think you are quite right to read some Beauty & the Beast into their dynamic, anon! I've gotten some questions about "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" which is his in-world song along those lines and he’s associated that or B&B to a number of relationships. Finding traces or even direct references to it in a certain dynamic doesn't necessarily mean a mutual romance or an endgame couple, it may simply be one of the facets he wants to explore of a certain idea. So to me, it's certainly valid to find it and talk about it there, especially when there's such a contrast between the beautiful prince who abuses Sansa and the man society has tried to dehumanize who stops him. None of my "anti Tyrion" posts are meant to deny that, they're just written to highlight how he too wronged her, even if Sansa wasn't quite fully cognizant of it.

Tyrion may be a villain only slipping further into his villainy, but he has those moments when, like the Hound, he protects Sansa. The fact that he wanted the North so much, but stopped himself from sleeping with Sansa we can read as a moment that defies the expectations for him who has been stigmatized. On the one hand, well, it's the bare minimum, he isn't exactly a hero for not sleeping with a child who was forced into the marriage and is a prisoner in KL, but many times over, we're being shown that he isn't quite the monster his family/society made him out to be. This is not to say he is a good man, he did marry her because he wanted power, but I think it is meant to criticize society's prejudices.

Anyway, I actually didn't ship Sansa with anyone before Jon! I was a very casual fan who wasn't involved in the fandom, and I was simply happy to enjoy the show as it was. It was during the long hiatus that I become very curious about what the ending would be, found Jonsa, and am now a living testament to the power of smart meta writers, wonderful gif makers, talented artists, fabulous fic writers. The damage is immense. Just say no to fandom, kids, or this may be you! 😂

Even though I enjoyed Tyrion, I could never stomach him (or the Hound) with Sansa. Their interest in her while she's so young, the way Tyrion took advantage of her situation for his own benefit and the Hound threatening her....I couldn't be at peace with that. If say, Tyrion had married her and took her away to safety, or if the Hound had offered to help her escape KL without the frequent insults/threats of death/the assault, then you could imagine that Martin might be planning to have these play out in the fairytale way, but he didn't do that. He might be talking about the trope, is certainly referencing bigger ideas here, but it isn't following the path of the og story.

Also, I don't think Tyrion's choice to marry Sansa is defensible. She was a child bride. She was going to be forced to marry someone. She couldn't really say no, so her agreeing to it isn't meaningful. It's good Tyrion felt bad, but Sansa didn't have good options. I was very disturbed that D&D wanted us to think Tyrion was a great guy in s8 even though he was angry with Sansa for abandoning him and also wanted to reestablish his relationship with his child bride. Creepy AF.

Let’s see….I do think Sansa x Pod is a cute idea, Sansa x Jeyne is sweet, I think you could write aged up Sansa x Willas fics, lots of fans fell in love with the unnamed Prince of Dorne from the finale and started listing the benefits of long distance relationships...but even if Jon didn't exist, I don't think there is a canon option for Sansa that has both the potential of happening and would be good for her which is why a lot of people believe she'll marry a rando post canon. And I could be happy with that if the rando has a long face, a very large dog, and a surprising familiarity with Winterfell!

#the bear and the maiden fair #anti tyrion #dot chat #< for filtering

[cherubim-of-vvkastel]

🖋 - I WILL LITERALLY DO ANYTHING HELLO.

My only dsmp muses are Dream and Wilbur but they don't bite much /t

Hello hello!!!! Nice to meet you btw!!! I really appreciate you sending me an ask haha, I'm still nervous sneaking into everyone else's ask boxes - my muses do bite. Very hard. Sam will tear them to shreds sorry not sorry

🖋 a list of plots or ideas // plot meme

My dsmp muses are lengthy, but my highlighted ones are Awesamdude, Foolish, Sapnap, Schlatt, and Punz! So, here's what I think we could potentially look into:

Pandoraduo/Vaultduo is a pairing that I will literally always salivate over. Sam and Dream are very similar in their characters and how they approach things. As I like to always call them, my two green monsters. I will eat up any plot or dynamic when it comes to these two because they feed off of each other so well and I think it's an utter shame that there's so much content where one of them is written extreme while the other isn't and vice versa. Angst, hurt/comfort, shipping, enemies, friends, literally just slide them over and I will eat them all up.

TNTduo is another possibility! I tend to prefer writing my Quackity with my personal femme!Q headcanons, however, I'm not hard-pressed to write my girly girl if you prefer male Q more :] She's been a comfort character for a while now and I like bitchy chick and how their dynamic went on during canon and spin-offs.

Sweaterduo... get these vile men some therapy /t. Schlatt and Wilbur are just too good to let go of impo. I think they're hilarious and just have such fun quips against one another. Not to mention there are plenty of plots we can go about with canon Manburg times, EarthSMP, both of their ghosts and revival arcs. Silly goobers.

Dreamnap!!! Waves these little guys around. Sapnap is my baby, my sweetheart. Anything to do with the Dream Team will make me jitter and squeal. I'm down for any plots you wanna hit with them be it canon, aus, tropes etc. Doesn't necessarily have to be shipping (or on friendships if you had another idea in mind), just the goofy guys. I can write a little bit of George, but it's difficult for me to get into George's muse when I've got so many other asshole (/aff) muses that overshadow him.

All in all, you can probably hit me with any plot or idea you want, and I'll meet you with enthusiasm. Just slide on in, and I will grab your hands and drag you to frolic with me into the pits of rare and otherwise crazy dynamics and aus!!! I'm also pretty flexible with the muses that I can write from dsmp so if you have a certain pairing that you want to explore, just send me whichever muse you are interested in me trying and I'll let you know if I can fulfill it or not giggles

#Morbid — ooc asks #siinphony

[siriusly-sapphic]

5 Favourite Self Recs

Thank you so much for tagging me @lumosatnight!

So these are my five favourite fics I've written, but I wanna preface it by saying I did not reread any of these since posting them and am basing the 'favourite' part EXCLUSIVELY on how much fun I remember having writing them. It's based on vibes and enjoyment, not necessarily quality or reception.

Could be Heaven // Pansy/Narcissa, Explicit, 1.5K // Shower sex pwp

This is mainly one of my favourites because it's what got me genuinely comfortable writing smut. It was written for @hpkinkfest and was finished a little bit last minute, which means I was hurrying through the discomfort I usually felt writing smut? After this, I really got the hang of it and started really enjoying the process of smut writing and I appreciate it for that. Plus, Narcissa in a shower with a younger woman? Please, sign me up.

This is Home // Hermione/Narcissa, Teen, 2.7K // Relationship overview/character study

This is basically an overview of all people and places that Narcissa in this fic considered home at one point in her life and how she feels about them. It was written for an exchange when discord had some sort of outage. I don't hold all the headcanons in this fic anymore, but I loved the chance to put all of it together and explore all those different places and relationships with a healthy cissamione endgame.

Death of Me // Sirius/Narcissa, Teen, 2.2K // Flashbacks and her involvement in his death

So ever since starting to write this ship, I wanted to write something exploring the fact that canonically she had a hand in his death. (Without knowing it'd lead to his death, but still). I love angst, I love flashbacks, I love guilt, I love lovers to enemies, this is all of that. It includes a few flashbacks of moments in their childhood where he accused her of wanting him dead/being the reason he'd die, and ends in her finding out how he died.

Memories That We Made Will Never Change // Rabastan/Narcissa, Explicit, 7.7K // Emotional smut during the second war.

There's few things I love as much as writing deeply emotional smut, and this ship does lend itself perfectly for that. She's married, he's just returned from Azkaban, they're sad and regretful and remembering the much sweeter relationship they had as children/young adults. Cue to some cheating with tears and angsty I love you's. It's also one of the longer oneshots I've written, so I remember feeling very accomplished when I finished it and I love that.

He Wants Us Both // Remus/Sirius/Narcissa, Explicit, 5.7K // Getting together of Remus/Narcissa and then a threesome

First threesome I ever wrote deserves a place here. This was just fun to write. I got to kinda explore what Remus/Narcissa might look like, it was fun to see her being a bit more of a decent person, and I just had a great time figuring out the dynamics of these three people in bed together. It was fun and I really wanna write a sequel. Plus this was the first fic I sent any of irl friends to read, which is an odd choice I am aware of that, but it's still a detail that makes me more fond of this fic.

I'm tagging @jennandblitz, @midnightelite, @nymphadoratonqs, @stonecoldhedwig, @magic-girl-in-a-muggle-world, @greenmegsnoham, and @veelawings to do this as well!

#harry potter #narcissa malfoy #sirius black #hermione granger #cissamione #sirius x narcissa #hp fic #hp femslash #ao3 #my fic #fic rec #self rec

[laughingpinecone]

Candyheartsex letter

AO3: laughingpineapple (double-checked a-ok for treats as per the recent AO3 update blah blah)

Hello and thank you for writing for me! I hope you’ll have a great time playing with one of these wonderful canons!

I love a wide variety of fics - from the most delicate gen to explicit, any tense, any format, big yes to all kinds of weird experiments up to and including interactive fiction. In general, I love canon expansion (showing new places in the setting or exploring those that are barely mentioned, just outside the borders, and ditto with events), character work of all stripes (expanding on little quirks, putting characters in situations that complement/challenge certain personality traits of theirs, just... observing these weirdos as they live their lives, for better and for worse), magical realism and adjacent approaches. I eat up emotional moments with a spoon when a fic is character-centric (danger! catharsis! hurt/comfort! the nitty-gritty of attraction!) and also love abstract stuff that is not character-centric at all: fake academia, a wider focus, inhuman povs, anything goes.

For both romance and friendships, I love it when it’s clear (not necessarily to the characters themselves, but to the narrative) what they like about each other, how they get along, if and how they trust each other, what’s annoying but worth it, what flaws of the other are they or are they not well equipped to handle... The specificity of each dynamic! I also love it when the characters are very into something that makes sense for them, be it a hobby or a kink or whatever, even if it’s something I may not personally care for.

For art, I love when characters are doing something. I much prefer a simple illustration of a moment in their lives (basic examples: sharing coffee, walking together) to a more ornate symbolic illustration like eg a tarot reimagining.

DNW: non-canonical rape, non-canonical children, focus on children,  pregnancies, unrequested ships (background established canon couples are okay, mentions of parents and paired-up OC randos are okay!), canon retellings  

In the rigorous order in which I came across ‘em in the tagset:

Discworld (fic)

(I haven’t read all the books, please no overt spoilers for witches, Tiffany n Moist!) I’m not sure how I landed on “I just think he’s neat” about Ridcully of all people but here I am. I like unflappable characters, for better and for worse, characters who roll with whatever hand they’re dealt, and fishes out of water who somehow make it work - seeing this ridiculous jock lead UU has been a constant highlight of the novels for me. Any fun little situation in or around the university would be amazing!

Death of Rats & Mustrum Ridcully (Discworld): I don’t know what this is about but it compels me. What’s the little guy doing here

Mustrum Ridcully & Ponder Stibbons (Discworld): best beleaguered comedy duo. I love Ponder with all my heart. It could be fun to see a scenario where they’re both right a/o wrong in their own way?

Püha ja õudne lõhn | Sacred and Terrible Air - Robert Kurvitz  (art, fic)

BIG HONKING SPOILERS. I can’t stop thinking about all this worldbuilding and cool details all over the place, so if you have something in mind that includes stuff like the Harnankur, the bells, the ZA/UM, zones of entroponetic catastrophe and so on, I’m listening!

Fandom-specific DNWs: overall positive depictions of the Innocentic system, as it were.

Ambrosius Saint-Miro & Ion Rodionov (PJÕL): w-what was it like for them. Did Rodionov know whom he was teaching math to. One would presume yes, given his whole apocalypse math teacher schtick. What’s it like for your math teacher to know the future. Do weird things happen around a future Innocence. why is this guy so cheerful

Ambrosius Saint-Miro & Revachol (PJÕL): you know, it has occurred to me that mr manifestation of the world spirit here probably shares a Twitch chat with the fragments of said world spirit and can hear her. I’m game for anything from mournful nuanced explorations to a take on the “wait unblock me I need to tell you something” meme

Charlotte Lund & Målin Lund & Anni-Elin Lund & Maj Lund: what do you make of the girls’... whole... deal? Something informed by their last scene in ch19 maybe?

Inayat Khan & Tereesz Machejek (PJÕL): I really enjoy their mutual respect, it’d be fun to see them team up or discuss Khan’s collection or something

Julia Dobreva/Jean Abadanaiz (PJÕL): ch6 devastated me. What was their role like in Revachol while it lasted, or maybe some pale shenanigans?

Kraz Mazov & Ignus Nilsen & Ion Rodionov (PJÕL): I need more content about every aspect of these 2 + thirdwheeling soothsayer, from political and philosophical aspirations (that final conversation, according to legend...) to granular leftist infighting (literally 3 top cats, 3 major currents) to Ignus being cringe on main (what about that most important question about communism...) to Ion knowing the inevitability of their demise and still sticking by them. btw if you wanna go Mazov/Nilsen&Rodionov about it, sure, someone’s gotta write them mazovian yaois at some point, ironically or otherwise.

Zygismunt Berg & Inayat Khan (PJÕL): what if they met at the end of the world. Or something. The intersection of their quests.

Twin Peaks (art, fic)

I love to see everyone’s takes on the show’s surrealism! New metaphysical places, weird corners of the red room, a far shore beyond the Fireman’s. I also love the human warmth that connects the characters - a sense that it’s what keeps us here together, while strange things lurk outside, in the dark, alluring woods.

Good with background Albert/Coop/Harry and sides thereof, Laura/Donna, Tammy/Cynthia, Andy/Lucy, Margaret/Sam, Phil/Gordon. I enjoy both book and show Tammy and I even think that they can add up to the same Tammy.

Canon-specific DNWs:  any singular Dreamer being the ‘source’ of canon, BOB (let alone Judy)  being forever defeated in the finale, Judy being an active malevolent  presence in the characters’ lives, clear explanations for canonical ambiguities, ‘Odessaverse’ being the reality layer, the Fireman’s house by the sea being the White Lodge, anything that 4 hours Twin Perfect video says is the explanation of Twin Peaks

Harry Truman & Frank Truman (Twin Peaks): where’d that Arthurian legend nod in Frank’s pre-intro even go? How do these two mirror each other? What kind of Laura and Maddy situation...

Colonel Davis & Cynthia Knox (Twin Peaks): the Air Force counterpart to Blue Rose fascinates me. What kind of boss is Gordon’s foil here? What spooky things did they see?

Albert Rosenfield & Tammy Preston (Twin Peaks): nerd skeptics team-up. I think it’s neat that she ends up doing all the researches he used to do 25 years earlier, and she can be pedantic in a way that complements his own fastidiousness nicely...

Albert Rosenfield & Diane Evans (Twin Peaks): ow their friendship with a Coop-shaped hole in the middle. Also with a bullet hole in the middle! Funny how that goes, for a pacifist. I never get tired of reunions for them, or pre-canon shenanigans

Cynthia Knox/Tamara "Tammy" Preston (Twin Peaks): two federal agencies, both alike in dignity (ie, not a whole lot of it)... could they please team up again in the future?

Baba Is You (art, fic)

How would Baba is You translate to a non-interactive format? I’m down with anything that has some fun with ever-shifting rules. Anything playful in any way!

Baba & Keke: idk I just think they’re little creatures having fun, meeting up, smelling the flowers, rearranging the rules of the universe, as one does.

Baba & Keke & Me: ditto but it’s three little creatures (it felt rude to leave out Me)

Disco Elysium (art, fic)

Helen Hindpere once described the key feeling of the setting as “the shadow of annihilation waiting in the wings next to the unshakeable belief in the greatness of humankind” and I daresay that when she’s right she’s right. I love works that lean on both the upcoming apocalypse, the poetics of failure, and the little things that matter. I’m all for weird little extraphysics! Don’t be afraid to go weird.

Fandom-specific DNWs: overall positive depictions of the RCM, overall positive depictions of the Innocentic system and Dolores Dei in particular, “$character is the next Innocence” what-ifs, postponing Le Retour (handwaving Le Retour is cool), averting the nuke, averting the end of the world, Jean Judit a/o Trant appearing or being mentioned in the fic.

DJ Flacio & DJ Mesh & Kim Kitsuragi (Disco Elysium): Kim meeting his heroes......

Edgar Claire & Evrart Claire (Disco Elysium): okay so there are two of them and I need to know how they function with each other. Is everything in their life a cooperative 7d chess match or. fwiw I think they are sincere in their goal and struggles but also they are in too deep playing the capitalist game. Would it even be possible to achieve their goal without getting in too deep? Probably not, but. Some wrong things were made.

Elizabeth Beaufort/Cindy the SKULL (Disco Elysium): I wholeheartedly stand by this ship manifesto and would love to see anything about them!

Soona Luukanen-Kilde/Lilienne Carter (Disco Elysium): no ship manifestos here afaik but I’m compelled. Do they bond over Interfacing, or is Soona’s skillset more INT-based? I also just think that women who face life with a generous heaping of hermitry should hang out in silence together and maybe kiss. I’m listening to any take on this ship, sell me on these two please!

Neha & Soona Luukanen-Kilde (Disco Elysium): last-minute twist that they were friends, at least enough for Soona to want to go say hi to Neha? Please show me how they get along, I need this.

Ulixes | Echo Maker/Steban the Student Communist (Disco Elysium): oh the intricate rituals to discourse with other men and get someone else to hit them because that’s hot I guess. More prompts here...

Steban/Ulixes & Harry Du Bois/Kim Kitsuragi (Disco Elysium): since Harry is canonically invited to their next Wirrâl campaign and Kim canonically plays (faeries, at that)... UST at the game table? The two couples are such fun mirrors, it’d be fun if something made it click for both pairs.

Steban & Ulixes & Cindy the SKULL (Disco Elysium): (or Steban/Uli & Cindy) so you got this stray cat with an attitude who’s installed her art supplies in your super sekkrit hideout and you feel that she has adopted you. wyd. Seriously I love that they are friends, that Steban doesn’t get her art but valiantly tries to be diplomatic about it, that she’s the first person Uli comes gossiping to, and I love how she seems to collect losers.

Steban & Ulixes & Gaston & René (Disco Elysium): fun pair of “too accommodating for his own good & repressed grump” combos. There’s also the fact that Gaston, who has never picked a side, ever, in his life, still writes to La Fumée to stand up for Steban (and other communist...s...? who are they?) who’s risking eviction. I think that’s sweet of him and would love to see them all hang out.

Final Fantasy VI (fic)

What I love in this fandom is intra-party interaction. They’re all wonderful and don’t get to speak to each other that much, if at all. I’d love to see scenes and/or little adventures during or after the game! I don’t really have ships here so any unrequested character is welcome to feature too but I would prefer gen.

Cayenne Garamonde | Cyan Garamonde & Stragus Magus | Strago Magus (FFVI): I don’t know what this might be about but I’m intrigued! I love them both singularly, anything goes!

 Celes Chere & Macías "Mash" Rene Figaro | Sabin Rene Figaro (FFVI): these two did get to speak to each other a bit and I found their odd friendship at the end of the world extremely endearing, and the emotional anchor of one of the most impactful stretches of the game, from the island to getting airborne again. Do they perchance keep speaking to each other as the party grows again?

Ghost Trick (art, fic)

My forever request. I just love this cast and love to see what their lives might look like in the new timeline, with only Sissel, Jowd and Yomiel remembering the tragedy they unmade. How this decade of memories impacts Jowd’s pre-existing relationships, and his trajectory with a best friend who may or may not be pining like a spotless white conifer. And everyone else as well! Weird AUs (fantasy, sci-fi, western, odd jobs..) and what-ifs (friend mentioned the other day what if it’s Cabanela who gets to keep his memories instead of Jowd) all welcome!

Alma/Cabanela/Jowd (Ghost Trick): any slice of life moment! Given this exchange’s reveals date: Jowd might just be the country’s least romantic individual. What does he do for a

Alma/Jowd (Ghost Trick): what changes between them in the new timeline?

Cabanela/Jowd (Ghost Trick): please let them be intensely ridiculous about their attraction

Cabanela & Pigeon Man (Ghost Trick): unexpected intergenerational friendship of my heart, Cabs is A Lot and Pigeon Man expertly wrangles him. Guess he’s good with birds

Cabanela & Missile (Ghost Trick): so. much. enthusiasm. I think if any silly plan went badly for these two they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves. wym sparkly determination doesn’t always work?

Emma & Jowd (Ghost Trick): please let Emma have her fun and Jowd “yes, and” her to infinity

Emma & Cabanela (Ghost Trick): I think they’re both extra, theatrical and stubborn in a way that could be really compatible! A role swap could also be fun - Inspector Emma, novelist Cabanela

Emma & Alma (Ghost Trick): pls friends? Their daughters are friends. Cats don’t bark and ruin a writer’s concentration.

Cabanela & Jowd & Sissel (Ghost Trick): any combo of Sissel using his powers to help a/o prank either of them, Cabanela knowing or not, being ridiculously competent...

Jowd & Yomiel & Sissel (Ghost Trick): cat dads!!! Jowd’s potential bond with Yomiel is so fascinating to me, through the guilt and trauma of it all I think they could reach a certain understanding that no-one else can give them. And Sissel keeps them grounded...

Kentucky Route Zero (art, fic)

Perhaps not relevant to these character combos (or is it?) but I love Act V so much, and everything it says about all the themes up to that point. Maybe that home can be there for these strays too, for a time.

 James B. Carrington & Lula Chamberlain (Kentucky Route Zero): please go artsy at will! I’d listen to Carrington ramble on for hours. Lula wouldn’t, but them’s the breaks.

Lula Chamberlain/Donald/Joseph Wheattree (Kentucky Route Zero): the doomed shape of it all... can they ever meet after the end? How were their lives shaped by rushing back to the surface, stagnating deep down, and making a living on the Zero? Symbolically, what do you make of it?

Pyre (art, fic)

I’m really into the whole end-of-cycle, crumbling society, need for new models and ideals thing. We can have little a idealistic canon with a successful pacifist revolution, as a treat. But I also love these striking characters by themselves and I’m interested in seeing them in what-ifs and weird AUs (fantasy, sci-fi, western, odd jobs..) too.

Fandom-specific DNWs: Oralech dead, Volfred and Oralech split end (I’m good with either topside or downside ending), Ignarius/Jodariel, Tariq/Celeste. The Reader being a central character in the fic.

Volfred Sandalwood & Pamitha Theyn (Pyre): does he have a shady job for her, or are they just sharing a drink and a smoke?

Soliam Murr & Oralech (Pyre): if you can find any way to make them meet, I think Oralech wants to speak to the manager

Barker Ashpaws & Brighton (Pyre): so downside Barker invents basketball. Brighton iirc ends up downside anyway, and for all his many flaws he did so love fantasy basketball. Can this be the birth of an odd friendship? (I am not interested in woobie Brighton, I like how hilariously obnoxious he is in canon and Barker would probably not have any of it but otoh they are Bonded By The Sportsball...)

Ignarius & Oralech (Pyre): I’d just like to weaponize Iggy’s fascination for big survivor demons and point it at an unsuspecting Oralech, for fun

Dalbert Oldheart & Tariq | The Lone Minstrel (Pyre): Tariq ditching the Nightwings for an afternoon (especially the previous Nightwings who knew how to be irritating) and spending some time with Dalbert... talking about the Scribes...

Oralech/Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq | The Lone Minstrel (Pyre): catch-all request because I ran out of slots but if you wanna do any sub-section of the triad I love all combinations. For the three of them together I would like to see them, for example, a few years into the future, either topside or downside...

Big Bertrude & Sir Gilman (Pyre): kin is kin whether Bertrude regrets it or not. Underwater adventures?

Big Bertrude/Pamitha Theyn (Pyre): I love how they quietly get each other. Downside postcanon maybe?

Big Bertrude & Volfred Sandalwood (Pyre): can Volfred do something nice for her? Or would that help if he’s the reason the old girl’s got a broken heart to begin with?

Vagabond Girl & Volfred Sandalwood (Pyre): Scribes talk Scribes talk Scribes talk!

#letter

[fulcrumstardust]

Hello, this is your R1 crew secret santa 💫

Sorry for not reaching out in the past weeks, I hope you’re doing fine! I’m here to ask you two questions today:

1- What is your absolutely favourite thing(s) about Jyn and Cassian’s dynamic?

2- What is some underrated headcanon/scenario for them?

Hope you have a wonderful day xx

hi friend!! 💖 this is a welcomed distraction as i'm sick with the plague and feeling like death. I hope you're doing better than me lol I'm not sure coherentness is online, let me be forgiven

My favorite things about the ship: I still struggle to put it into words 6 years later, it's the kind of "when it's right it's right" thing. But it includes:

them being equals (as in, Jyn being a woman doesn't ever factor in the movie, she's not sexualized, she doesn't look 'battle pretty', and no one bats an eye at her competencies).

them being equally fucked-up souls. I just love hurt people finding peace in each other. There are so many inescapable consequences for the traumas they went through and the first-hand understanding is just *chefs kiss*

the fact they are both cynical little bitches with short fuses

the blatant competence kink

tragic lovers (sometimes I think the R1 ending is canon sigh). I don't think this is controversial but I love them so much in part because I never got to have them. I mean, it's the what could have been. It was there but there was just no time. They deserved that time and it drives me crazy thinking about it. but since it will never be explored, I can't be disappointed eh

they went so quickly soft-eyes around one another it's illegal

dying in each other arms was a big power move ngl

Idk if I have any "underrated" hc because I've been writing about them so much, and reading fics when I don't. I think most of what you can think of has been explored by someone.

A hc that I never wrote about (for obvi reasons), but talked about before, is the not-working relationship. This is my realistic brain talking, you know accounting for real-life psychology and trauma response. But I think putting people like Cassian and Jyn together is a crash waiting to happen as soon as the survival aspect of the war/fight dies down and it's about mundane life and licking wounds. They are not equipped to deal with their traumas without professional help. Jyn would be suffering (among other things) from crippling abandonment issues and I can attest from first-hand experience, she would be a nightmare to have a relationship with, constantly pushing him away. I don't like characterization where Cassian is stripped down to being a gentle, patient, understanding caretaker because he would be as much a disaster. Dealing with his own ptsd and unresolved issues. anyway. broken people "saving" each other is a great trope in fiction, but I have a strong hc that the relationship wouldn't work out just like that. It would be bruised, it would be ugly. Would they come back to each other? I like to think so because soulmates material. But also, do I want to write about that? Not necessarily, you understand. 😂

That's it! Apologies for any mistake, I can't see straight. Hope you are doing well and eating nice things <33

#replies #anon #r1 crew #rebelcaptain

[rain-harmonia]

Wrathion for the character ask thing if you're still doing that?

Yes yes yes! Pardon me if anything doesn’t make sense. I wrote this periodically throughout a 12 hour shift at work and I’m dead on my feet

favorite thing about them

This is so general but my favorite thing about Wrathion is his story. Everything about his history makes him such a compelling character for me. His creation! I love abominations of nature! His motives! I love it when a character looks at something and decides “this is MY responsibility now” even if it wouldn’t necessarily have been something they would have otherwise been responsible for! His personality! It’s so much fun when a character has heroic intentions but is willing to play fast and loose with morals to get there! Boxed in little lawful good paragons of goodness or whatever just. Bore me.

least favorite thing about them

Funnily enough, riding off of the answer to the last question, I think this would be his “the end justifies the means” level of decision making. Entirely because I live in fear of what could come of it. His desire to protect Azeroth at any cost is commendable (and like I said, it’s fun to see a hero who is willing to cross some lines) but also low-hanging villain fruit, and I don’t trust Blizzard.

favorite line

So hard to pick… The dialogue in the dracthyr’s arrival in Stormwind cutscene where Wrathion is talking about how he’s so sure they’ll be welcomed with open arms, only for guards to come rushing out of the gate and for Wrathion to get scolded about unannounced arrivals makes me laugh every time

brOTP

I know they have never met in canon and never will but Wrathion & Illidan. In my head they are. Friends??? They would be awful influences on each other but I like to think they would get along and I just think they would have such a fun dynamic. People can pry that one from my cold dead hands.

OTP

Wranduin. It is just So Good, I love them together. I want to have words to elaborate on this one but my brain is just going like this

nOTP

Anything involving a woman. I cling too tightly to my headcanon that he’s gay.

random headcanon

I want to drop so many headcanons here, this was so hard to choose. I hc him as trans ftm!! He’s proud of his identity, and actively chooses to have top surgery scars appear on his visage form. They serve an additional purpose of standing out prominently enough to draw attention to them, and away from the smaller, magical scars that are a result of his creation.

unpopular opinion

Idk how unpopular this actually is but I do not think he should be the next Aspect. (Ebyssian would be great but honestly I think that Sabellian would even be a better option than Wrathion) He’s in the running against dragons who are just more experienced than him, less willing to resort to extremes, and are less rash. If Wrathion was better at actually listening to the input of people around him, instead of letting them talk and then simply continuing to do his own thing, then my opinion would be very different. (However, I support him anyway because I am not immune to favoritism)

song i associate with them

To The Sky by Owl City!! I think he needs to take its advice. Let Ebyssian be the Earth-Warder and go do a little adventuring and exploring. I feel like Wrathion would be happier if he remembered to live a little.

favorite picture of them

This this this this https://www.tumblr.com/lambylingames/693036767378636800/have-you-seen-the-lost-king-of-stormwind-now-you it’s just so cute, Wrathion looks so pleased with himself

#world of warcraft #wrathion #character asks #he’s my little meow meow #thoughts are hard to articulate I’m tired but yeah #IDK WHO SENT THIS ASK BC ITS ANON BUT YOURE SO AWESOME FOR THAT

[peemil]

i saw a post earlier today about how the meaning of “ship” in fandom has shifted over time, from previously meaning “this is a dynamic i am interested in exploring in fanon” to becoming “this is a relationship i need to become canon.” (readmore because i don’t really want this post to gain traction, just want to see what my friends/mutuals/followers think about this since i’m open to hearing different perspectives on this)

part of me wonders if the shift in question is partially responsible for a huge portion of modern fandom d*sc*urse, because we have two generations of fans using the same word very differently: one meaning that it’s your “one true pairing” and need to get the creators of the work to canonize it and show their support for it, and another not necessarily meaning you believe in it or support it or even like it, but are intrigued by what other people have to say about it.

i generally think there’s some romantic or sexual dynamics between that are... kind of weird for you to be overly explored, like if you’re writing smut of underage characters from bluey please please please stay away from me. but there is a difference between saying, “i think it would be interesting to see what other people have to say about this” and treating relationships between fictional characters as like, some sort of fanatical religion, that by being interested in it you see no issue with any aspect of it, that you are genuinely attracted to all aspects of it, and that you need other people to “convert” to your ship and support it too (and what better way of getting people to do that than the creators making it canon).

like, let’s take krisnix for example. i don’t want them to be endgame. that relationship would be toxic and disgusting and miserable (and miles is LITERALLY RIGHT THERE) and i don’t want to see phoenix living with the man who ruined him for the rest of his life. but i think saying they never had sex even once during the 7 year gap is also... just factually incorrect lol. i think the idea of hating someone so much you have to have sex about it, like fucking bonobos, is worth exploring in fiction, i think the idea of them fucking to get “closer” to each other to get more intel is so spy movie, and also i’m Very Fucking Nosy and want to know if it was completely impersonal, treated like a business deal, and done only under the harsh fluorescent lighting of an office bathroom (which is kind of a fetish in itself), or did they have their own idiosyncrasies and sexual quirks that were employed consistently and intentionally? and these aren’t questions i really have the answer to, so i look to other people’s interpretations to see what they have to say.

again, there’s no interest here in the two as a romantic couple. there’s no desire to see anything happening here long term. but i’m an adult, they’re both adults, and adults do stupid things sometimes for kind of crummy reasons. and saying that matter-of-factly is very different from saying, “ah, yes, this is a good thing that should continue for the rest of eternity, because i believe this is fundamentally good.”

on the other hand, you have s*f*kuras (censored because i don’t want them finding this), some of whom are just like “i see a lot of myself in cl*ud and i think seph*r*th is hot and i want to fuck him.” i don’t really have the energy to unpack that/don’t care enough to form an opinion on that because i have like, actual responsibilities in real life. i’m also not gonna sit here and pretend s*ph*roth isn’t hot.

 there is an obvious canonical power disparity between s*ph*roth and cl*ud that makes me... generally uninterested in, if not outright opposed to, the pairing. but i’ve seen people shift that dynamic in new ways, and create differences in perceived power that (or, at least, weren’t initially, before basically backtracking on that and making shit gross again) aren’t necessarily bad: perhaps cl*ud is a newbie in a leather club, and s*ph*roth is a long-time member who shows him the ropes (no pun intended). there are going to be newbies in leather clubs, and there are going to be longtime members, and they are going to have sex—this is a difference in experience that could actually be healthy, because a veteran who knows what they’re doing, who knows the safety rules, who knows how to be responsible, is better than some middling member who maybe doesn’t have everything down potentially mistreating the new guy.

but the thing is, the majority of stuff i’ve seen between the two (because i am, in fact, a hater and a hate-reader, and a pretty salty person overall) is... not that. it gets weirdly defensive about how their canon power difference isn’t actually all that bad (it is), how cl*ud is a consenting adult and can do whatever he wants (he wasn’t when they first met), how other ships can be equally as toxic (if we’re aiming for canon-compliance, they really can’t), how everyone else is just interpreting their relationship wrong and oh my god why can’t everyone just fucking agree with the author for once (because—and hear me out—the author’s entire premise is wrong). there are a few s*f*kura fics wherein z*ck realizes, “hey, this is kind of weird, actually, maybe we should get you out.” and he’s right lol but it always turns into this weird thing where like, z*ck becomes the actual manipulator for playing the “he’s x amount of years older than you” or whatever other card because he wanted cl*ud all to himself, and blah blah blah. like are we for fucking real. and it just feels like such a dig at z*kkuras, of all things, like why are you getting so defensive about this. if it’s “just fiction,” as you say, then why is someone disagreeing with you and saying “i don’t want to read that kind of story” such a threat.

and that’s where i have a problem, is when the “ship and let ship” crowd, of all people, gets so moralistic about it. like if you really were just playing with a dynamic and treating characters like moldable putty, and not treating it as “i’m right, i’m right, i’m right and this is Good and everyone else should Like It and Support Me” it’s kind of hard for me to believe you don’t actually support the things you’re portraying in your work and seek out in others. if you don’t actually support the things you’re portraying, why are you treating an unhealthy ship like it has to be endgame and you will destroy anyone who gets in your way. like... dude. do you hear yourself right now

i guess part of me wonders, if people see shipping d*sc*urse and are members of the former category could potentially mistakenly be aligning themselves with the latter category, because they don’t realize the word “ship” as a verb has shifted in meaning. do people see folks in the first category and lump them in with the latter because they’re young and that’s the only context they’re used to seeing the word used in. are people aligning and misaligning themselves in this debate all because we’re using two very different definitions of the word that lies at the center of this d*sc*urse.

#forgive me for using tumblr like an actual blog it's literally not my fault #he scream at own follower #DON'T REBLOG THIS comments and dms are more than welcome though #OBVIOUSLY there are limitations like even if you're just looking at it casually there are some things that should NOT be in your field of vi #*vision. i don't CARE that you don't want b*k*d*k* to be endgame you still shouldn't be drawing 14 year olds fucking #what's not clicking #but like that is NOT what this post is about. this post is about adults bc fuck them kids

[maniacwatchestheworld]

Is it just me, or is it actually pretty difficult to make AUs for Pokemon...?

I suppose that I should make a preface before I really get into things here to say... When it comes to stuff I write or draw or whatever, especially when it comes to Pokemon, I'm not particularly interested in making OCs or telling some sort of story surrounding my trainer's journey. I primarily tend to only make Pokemon OCs when I come up with some kind of novel idea, and there are so many other people out there telling their trainer's story that I don't think that I would have anything interesting to add. (Even with the insane way I play these games!) Additionally, when it comes to fan content, I tend to want to engage far more with the kind of stories that can only be told in the world of the content that the fanwork is being based off of. So while modern/mundane AUs may be popular and an easy go-to for some Pokemon AUs, they don't tend to particularly tickle my fancy. But that's probably just a me thing.

In any case, I've been looking at some AUs for Pokemon Legends Arceus lately, and seeing them makes me want to make my own AU to do my own kind of edgy bullshit in! But also I've gotta say that monsoon-of-art makes a pretty good point with their Pokerus AU (good shit by the way, would definitely recommend checking it out!) in that the Wardens are actually pretty neat characters and there are a lot of interesting and fun ways to explore the dynamics going on between them that many people aren't really capitalizing on. So whatever AU I come up with, I'd like for them to join in on the action as well!

While I think that I've come up with something that works well and that I'm happy with, it wasn't very easy for me to come up with anything that didn't just feel like a take on something that someone else has already done probably far better than I ever could. And thinking about this started to make me think about the nature of AUs for Pokemon in general.

Pokemon as a franchise and world just has a TON of stuff going on in it. 8 regions each with their own fauna, geography, culture, and cast of characters living in it in the mainline series alone without counting any of the side titles? A canonical multiverse with multiple canonical timelines where characters from each are ever so slightly different and yet their own distinct entities that exist separate from what came before or comes afterwards? There's just a lot going on and changes within the story or whatever that effect one region or set of characters wouldn't necessarily effect any other major part of the world. Hell, even within one region, something that effects someone like Lance, say, wouldn't necessarily effect someone like Bugsy. So I think that this makes it difficult to come up with wide, overarching, sweeping changes without changing the setting entirely. And honestly, the setting is one of my favorite parts of Legends Arceus, so I genuinely wouldn't want to make an AU that integrally changes that!

After that, it just makes me think that maybe one of the best ways to try and make an AU for a world as large as Pokemon is to just... Like... Come up with a concept that effects one character that you really like within the series, and then apply it to the rest of the world and see what happens! For what I wanted, obviously I needed to come up with something that would effect all of the Wardens and so would need to be a little bigger than what effects just a single character, but I think that there really is something to be said about small AUs that just effect a handful of characters, even if it doesn't change things very much on a wide scale. AUs can be good, even if they only effect only a handful of characters! Hell, one of my favorite AUs that I've ever come up with for Pokemon is just one in which after losing to Red, Giovanni decides to pack it up and become a Pokemon Professor. It's an AU that pretty much only effects him and maybe Silver and a few other Team Rocket members, but it's still an AU I hold a LOT of affection for, even if I can't really do anything with it.

Could be another reason why the Subway Bosses continue to be so incredibly popular. Strong characters with an interesting story going on that could go any of several ways. All of the options can't be correct, so even in just trying figure out what happened and reuniting them can lead to AUs abound! And that's before getting into an actual story with an ongoing narrative with them.

But those are just some rambley thoughts. I'm not going anywhere with these. Just wanted to put them down for the sake of it and maybe would like to hear what you have to say on the subject of Pokemon AUs. But it's pretty whatever.

#maniac muses #pokemon #pokemon au #pkmn #pla au #au #alternate universe

[i-love-ninjago-kai]

Yes, hello, if you don't mind, do you have any non-popular Kai head-cannons to share please?

Hey! Sure, why not!

Let's see... It's hard to think of stuff that is particularly un-popular off the top of my head, but let's see what I can come up with.

Okay here's some rapid fire bullet point ones to play with

Kai is a pretty good cook? Zane is still the kind of the kitchen, but Kai, out of necessity, has some pretty well-practiced skills of his own.

Going off of that, Kai and Skylor frequently have dinner dates where they cook together.

Kai is the most skilled fighter, (Not the strongest, but the best in terms of hand-to-hand, weapons wise, it's pretty even. Also, that's not a good thing, mans is paranoid about his strength and trains a dangerous amount.)

Actually enjoys reading and learning, when he realizes that he actually has time to now that he's not the sole breadwinner.

His crazy hair is NATURAL!!!!! I have RECIEPTS OKAY! He is literally the picture of angsty anime protag with uncontrollable hair like you could do SO MUCH with that--

Very spacy handwriting. not necessarily bad handwriting, but you can tell he doesn't write for fun. (In case you are wondering, Nya's is terrible.)

Spends WAYYY less time on his phone after s6. He doesn't remember any of it, but he just feels something wrong, and decides he doesn't actually like that much attention.... Also I will die on the "Kai is an old man who HATES technology" hill.

MOMMY AND DADDY ISSUES BABY! (This will be fully explored in my fic that may come out one day)

I'm sorry but that angry bitter kid got into hella fights as a kid. He may have to take care of his littler sister and make all the money, but he's got a TON of bottled up aggression, and hoho those schoolboys who bully Nya are the perfect target!

Kais hair is surprisingly soft and fluffy

Here's a few ones that I decided to go into more detail on, read if you like!

Obvious one is that Kai is actually quite intelligent. I've talked about this countless times, so I won't repeat stuff like a broken record.

But, we do see countless times that Kai is one of the smartest characters in the show. Generally, I write it more in the instincts corner of intelligence, since that's the most we see in canon, but I don't think Kai is nearly as academically stunted as people often hc.

Like, yes, the kid had to raise his sister, so rationally that leaves very little room for his own personal education. But, we do also see in canon that Kai is an extremely fast learner (Literally learns to be a ninja in like a week).

It would be in Kai's best interest to at least make a small effort to keep up with his studies, to the best of his ability. Gotta know how to do math to pay the bills every month, yeah?

Kai also has a profound respect for history and tradition, which he has to have READ SOMEWHERE!

Anyway, tangent. Just because Kai is selfless and reckless doesn't equal dumb blah blah you've all heard this before.

More under the cut for the safety of mobile readers (praying emoji I'm on my desktop)

Hmmmm..... Another one would probably be that Kai is Lloyd's right-hand man. Yeah, I know, it's canon that Kai is the group's "Over-protective Big Brother" but I'm talking about like, Kai is Lloyd's first mate if they were pirates.

I will fully admit that Lloyd and Nya have a very similar bond, but, at least in my personal interpretation, their bond has a lot to do with the fact that they are the two youngest members of the team, so they can relate to each other.

But Kai and Lloyd directly parallel each other in a lot of ways that fit that partner dynamic a lot better. Kai is consistently the one who tells Lloyd when he is being stupid. Ah, not stupid exactly, but Kai tells him the hard truth, when most of his friends water it down.

Lloyd sees the best in people, even when they don't deserve it. Kai is the opposite. Kai isn't the motivational, awe-inspiring leader that Lloyd is, but he is the objective one.

He is what he has always been, the one who is there, the one who steps up when he needs to.

Kai has multiple quotes (and actions to back them up) along the lines of "Well I'm not going to wait for someone to call for help." He's not slow to act, or even the type to wait on a plan like Lloyd. He's the "The world is in grave danger, and we need to act now."

He balances Lloyd out in his utter urgency.

Idk, I could talk about it more but I don't want to babble so lets move on.

Hope this is what you were wanting!

#anonymous #ninjago #ninjago kai #kai ninjago #kai

[rythyme]

i know it’s been said before but one of the key factors that determines whether a particular thing has a lot of fic written about it is space.

are there gaps in the story that fandom can fill? sometimes these are plot holes, sometimes these are timeskips, but a lot of the time it’s exploring how a relationship develops when we don’t get to see the whole thing in the source material. more often it’s with ships that aren’t canon, since there’s inherently some space there, but canon ships can have space too.

here’s an example. imagine there’s a romance show about reincarnated soulmates. they have an epic soul bond and they fall in love and we get to see their entire romantic journey from start to finish. it’s a sweet and wholesome relationship. the viewers adore them and this show is hugely popular.

then picture this: in the background of this show there’s another couple getting together. they have no epic soul bond and barely any screen time but we see a few pivotal moments: some flirting, some bed sharing, a couple of kisses. the majority of their relationship development is implied or occurs off screen. they are here mostly to support the main couple on their romantic journey.

which couple do you think gets written about more on ao3? if you guessed the side couple, you’d be right.

everyone adores the main couple, but the main couple doesn’t have many narrative gaps to fill. we already have most of the get together and established relationship scenes we want. the side couple, on the other hand, is nothing BUT narrative gaps. it‘s the perfect playground for a fic writer to come in and begin filling in those missing pieces. even when writers deviate from canon, it doesn’t feel significant since this couple has so little screen time to begin with. they’re just characters with a fun relationship dynamic rather than a full story.

and this isn’t just theoretical — the romance show i’m talking about is Until We Meet Again. of the 1,000 fics written about this show, about 70% are tagged with the side couple compared to 33% being tagged with the main couple. in the whole 17-episode show, the side couple has less than 40 minutes of total screen time (most of which is product placement) — and yet the narrative gaps are too tempting for fic writers to ignore. this doesn’t necessarily mean that people like the side couple more — it just means they’ve piqued more writers’ creative interest.

i guess the point of this observation is to show that when it comes to fic writing, it doesn’t always matter how amazing or perfect or unique a story is. many good stories simply may not generate a lot of fic, and that’s okay. sometimes all writers need is a little bit of room.

#the winteam pilot got me thinking about this again... anyway #until we meet again #between us #uwma #winteam

[ramblingguy54]

Sonic & Tails R: A Love Letter To Miles Tails Prower’s Characterization

     Warning: This will contain massive spoilers for the short radio play series of Sonic & Tails R. If you haven’t listened to the radio play yet on Youtube, I’d highly recommend any hardcore Sonic fan who hasn’t seen it check it out. It’s one Hell of a treat.

     For as far back as I can remember in my childhood, Tails’ story of trying to step outta Sonic’s shadow has been such a resonating one for myself. Even when I was a much younger kid playing my Dreamcast, during entries like Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, there was some idea lingering about why Tails just stood out more emotionally in his journey to grow beyond depending on Sonic all the time for help. Now here I am a young adult in my late twenties having such a deeper appreciation of this little two tailed genius kiddo because he’s got an important element that’s made him so beloved for good reason.

     In spite of his genius being a rival to that of Eggman’s high IQ and of course proving to surpass it plenty of times when scenarios boil down to being a high stakes battle, Miles Tails Prower beneath it all is still just like any one of us. We’re all trying to find our place in this world about what defines us for who we are as unique people. He wants to be more than just seen as someone who’s alongside Sonic The Hedgehog’s never say die attitude, but prove he’s plenty capable of standing on his own two feet to protect everything the kid holds dear to himself. Underdog stories, when they’re naturally executed very well, can reel me in so easily. They are very much my bread & butter trope I adore seeing.

     To no one’s surprise, the two Sonic Adventure’s iterations portrayal of Tails’ characterization are hands down some of my favorite writing for the two tailed fox, regarding what the 3D era has done toward him, development wise. It gave him more of an existential struggle to endure like, “What happens when Sonic isn’t around to help stop Eggman? What if I’m not strong enough to accomplish what he can?”, making Tails plight to be seen as an equal all the more endearing when stopping Eggman in his climatic battle against the Egg Walker in Station Square. This here is a great use of a timeless lesson you can apply in life that if you set you heart and mind on anything, there isn’t a thing you can’t accomplish on your own, which is why many fell in love with Sonic Adventure 1 & 2′s writing for Miles Tails Prower’s journey of independence.

     As someone who comes from a large family tree of relatives, I feel the weight of my existence on my shoulders at a number of points more than I’d care to count, admittedly. Seeing Tails struggle with his sense of purpose, in contrast to observing how much Sonic has accomplished with his carefree, yet deeply compassionate attitude, means the world to me in watching another trying to comprehend their value as a whole on how much they matter, overall. This is a big part of why my fondness for SA1 & 2′s quality has never wavered over these years, besides still obviously enjoying most of their game play mechanics. People can try to debate to their heart’s content on whether the Adventure games still hold up in their own eyes, but I’ll always respect them for how they tried to develop certain characters, such as Tails, Gamma, and Shadow The Hedgehog notably, to attempt expanding upon their characters, as well as world building.

     I won’t bother going into a rant about how Sonic’s recent 3D games have butchered Tails’ personality & relatable nature, due to the current writers in charge of handling the cast of characters. More or less, I greatly empathize toward the notion many have already stated about Tails being so cowardly and God forbid, looking at Lost World, downright severely mean spirited. Rather, I’m obviously writing this lengthy post to breakdown why Sonic & Tails R succeeds, where these certain 3D games have greatly faltered in exploring Tails’ emotional dilemmas as an insecure, yet still having the courage to prove himself, talented boy full of hidden potential he doesn’t quite realize, until his back is against the wall in life threatening situations.

“That day, I realized I couldn’t depend on you forever. Not that I can’t depend on you, but like, “What happens when Sonic isn’t here?”, you know?”

     Sonic & Tails R further delves into this fundamental rule of what has defined Tails in Sonic Adventure 1 & 2′s stories of events where Sonic wasn’t there to aid his best bud in taking down Eggman’s evil efforts for global domination, most importantly his fear of defending the Earth without his role model. Besides what I already stated in SA1′s events in Station where he stopped the Egg Walker, as well as the missile Eggman launched from detonating before their climatic battle, Tails watched Sonic blow up in ARK’s capsule presuming him to be dead after Sonic imparted how much faith he has in the kid’s abilities to be truly strong in the face of any foe. Sonic & Tails R manages to use fan service in a way that doesn’t feel like “pandering” for the sake of it, using this past canon material to do more of an in-depth study about Miles’ anxieties of existing without Sonic.

     Wouldn’t put it past them if EmuEmi & crew were using SA2′s Sonic death fake out scene in that space capsule to further add trauma to Tails’ psychological attachment to Sonic, as well as his insecurities of depending on him too much, to boot. While it’s never obviously outright stated in their radio play, I definitely believe they were factoring this element into adding dramatic exploration for why Tails is so self-conscious about the worst case scenario of permanently losing Sonic. Watching Sonic supposedly die put Tails into a deeper state of self-reflection, so I very much enjoyed how they went using these past events to create a thorough exploration about him learning just as it’s important to realize you need to stand up for yourself without using someone else as a crutch all the time, it’s doubly important to remember there’s nothing wrong about asking someone for help when you’re about to be down and out with little options left.

     Sonic & Tails R beautifully builds upon the foundation these two games’ stories left behind years ago, creating new damn great material to explore with the most iconic characters of this cast, Sonic & Tails brotherly dynamic. I’ve been praising Sonic & Tails R out the wazoo for how well it captured Tails underdog story of overcoming death defying odds, but it managed to remind me how simply adorable and outright wonderfully endearing their brotherly chemistry is as a whole. This is a big friendly reminder Sonic isn’t all about being cocky wise cracking character making meta jokes left and right, but he can be plenty capable of showing serious compassion to anyone he values as an ally and friend. This is no greater evident, than with him verbally lifting Tails up in his time of need when he’s self-depreciating his own significance. It can be seen in Episodes 2, 4, and 7 giving Tails motivational pieces of advice.

    Episode 2 In Adabat’s Cavern

-Sonic: Wasn’t it your radar that helped us find these Emerald shards in the first place? How could you be slowing us down when you’ve gotten us this far?

-Tails: But, I...

-Sonic: I could never make something like that. You’re the smartest person I know, Tails. One way or another, we’ll figure this out, count on it.

         Episode 4 In Holoska After Helping Silver Save The Chao

-Sonic: So, what was that back there? At the cave, in Adabat? -Tails: What do you mean? -Sonic: Frozen stiff. Confidence shot. It’s not like you. It was more than feeling like you were “slowing us down”, right?

        Episode 7 Inside The Egg Carrier 3

-Sonic: Let’s split up! I’ll distract them and you can go after the energy source. -Tails: You’re gonna take them on all by yourself!? Let me help, Sonic! -Sonic: No time for this, Tails. Stop overthinking and just go! If I can get their attention, I’ll take the heat off of you and that room you’re going to probably won’t have any security. Take this emerald and I’ll take the other one we have. It’ll lead me right to you after I beat these guys. -Tails: O-Okay... -Sonic: Hold on, Tails! Listen to me. Don’t stop moving and be careful. I’ll be fine and so will you!

     Sonic & Tails R remembers the most crucial detail of their important relationship. One isn’t better than the other and needing to always rely upon that notion for helping one outta a jam, but instead showcases how they’re equals as a team/bros. Sonic may be super fast and strong, however Tails has his intelligence to analyze situations in a different angle Sonic wouldn’t necessarily consider, per say. Which isn’t to say Tails couldn’t put up a fight either, as we’ve seen in SA1 & SA2′s stories where he faced Eggman one on one with no outside help to best him at his own game of wits & strength.

     We get see the apex of this idea through Tails facing Eggman in his super improved mecha walker. Although Tails may get thrown for a loop here at first by Eggman, it’s his villainous speech about winners and losers in their world that ironically does the exact opposite of what he intended. Eggman wanted to crush Tails’ sense of self worth before finishing him off, but all it did was reignite the very lesson Sonic told him earlier before running to distract Eggman’s robotic minions. That said lesson of he’s more than capable of facing dangerous threats

-Eggman: Poor boy. We all have to learn this lesson, sooner or later. In every game there’s no one you can depend on. You’re all alone and you’re either a winner, or a loser. And as you know, loser’s lose all of their lives. Say goodbye, fox!

-Tails: You’re wrong! I can depend Sonic! I won’t let him down! I can’t because...Because he’s depending on me! And because of that I won’t lose to you!

     This radio play strikes a good balance in utilizing the grey moral area about depending on someone vs it being an unhealthy display of attachment derived from serious insecurity. Word’s can’t begin to describe how much I loved this moment to pieces because it’s oh so important for writing Tails’ characterization. If you’re going to tackle him being super self conscious about his reliance on Sonic, then you gotta remember why they are so close to one another to begin with. Sonic & Tails have an unbreakable connection, considering they’ve brought out their best qualities in themselves from being together as individuals. For Sonic, it’s his older brother compassion to Tails to bring him outta feeling melancholy. For Tails, the kid finally understands there isn’t anything wrong with depending on Sonic when he needs it most.

     After all, that’s what a real healthy friendship is all about. Whether you’re giving someone a dose of tough love, or simply a piece of motivational advice, it defines how much you truly care about someone, period. Sonic & Tails have this very same power from their bond, which is why new emeralds form from their compassionate friendship that hasn’t been shaken after all the years they’ve been together. Another detail worth noting is it adds to the lore in an impactful manner when Tikal expresses in Episode 8 about positive connections and thoughts from users of the Chaos Emeralds having a strong will & heart. Using the ideas they had for encapsulating Sonic & Tails’ dynamic to create new emeralds from their love for each other as brothers adds an emotional weight.

“So, Sonic’s not the only one who harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds? I can too!?”

“Yes, you have a strong heart! There is a power waiting to be unlocked within you, as well.”

          I’d always daydreamed about in my childhood seeing Super Sonic & Tails take down a threatening villain, whether it was Eggman or different powerful creature such as Chaos or the Biolizard. You can imagine how fucking giddy I was beyond belief to see this artwork of Episode 9′s cover for the radio play. Tails not only got to have another one on one with Eggman, but a team up with Super Sonic in his own respective Super form? Sign me the Hell up! Talk about an all you eat buffet of good writing for Tails’ journey reaching its climax. Getting to hear this play out, alongside the amazing song of Fly With Me, made it authentically feel like something straight outta if there were an installment of Sonic Adventure 3 being brought into reality, which certainly feels like it now.

     Episode 9 has so much awesome stuff with Sonic & Tails working together in their super forms. Particularly, my favorite scene is at the beginning when Sonic teaches Tails how to navigate his newly acquired speed in his respective Super form. My heart melted hearing Sonic help Tails through it all, while he was overjoyed about how fun this new form is for himself. Wholesome Sonic & Tails content is the perfect daily serotonin for me, easily. It’s an awesome fun fact to know they used a scrapped boss from Tails Tornado segment in SA1 for Eggman’s flying dragon three headed robot in their big final battle, once again using old canon material in a very effective manner to boost the quality of their fan made story.

     It’s been a real thrill to hear Mike Pollock play a straight forward serious Eggman making my day in more ways than one, considering that’s another thing I’ve been yearning for desperately besides Tails being a competent character again. His performance in Episode 9 when Eggman gave that speech about how long he’s been at odds with Sonic & Tails stubborn will power was simply excellent. The moment he told his mechanical dragon to crush them I got serious chills. That’s the Eggman I remember and grew up with. He could be a hammy villain sure, but Eggman wasn’t a doormat that could be swiftly beaten. Robotnik can be considered a serious threat in his own right and this radio play nailed it down to the very letter with how much he predicted their actions.

“Sonic, all I ever wanted to do was be like you. You’re not scared of anyone or anything. I could never be like that. At least, so I thought. I grew from that, but then I got so caught up in trying to prove it that thought it wasn’t okay to depend upon anyone, especially you. I just didn’t want to be that scared little kid in Station Square anymore, but now I understand. It’s okay to depend on your friends. It all means is that we’re stronger together, so the next time Eggman comes back and wants to start any trouble with you, or any of my friends. Emeralds or no emeralds, he’s gonna have to get past me and he won’t!”

Sonic By Episode 1′s End: Aww, yeah! Adventure, here we come!

Tails By Episode 10′s End: Aww, yeah! Adventure, here I come!

Turn your thoughts into power. Be all that you can be.

     The ending legit got me choked up because what of they decided to do for wrapping up Tails journey in a poetic fashion. Having Tails go off on his own separate journey to grow more independence pulled on my heart strings perfectly. Very much so, as I’m transitioning slowly, but surely, into gaining more freedom to go out into the outside world in my own life. Concluding the story, by Sonic & Tails holding onto the two Emeralds their bond had formed from positive energy, due to their powerful friendship, was so heartwarming. This is how you write an overview of what makes Sonic & Tails chemistry work so well as it does.

     Sonic & Tails R’s ending represents while some things never change, like Sonic and Tails bond for each other, it also shows there’s very much a necessity for people to grow, hence Tails’ whole solo journey in the epilogue. People can’t stay in the same place forever and will need go about finding their own path, even if it means saying “goodbye” periodically for a notable amount of time.

     It’s for these reasons I’ve listed in great explanation above throughout this detailed post cement Sonic & Tails R high on my list of favorite Sonic fan projects. They captured the magic of what made the Adventure games so beloved. Gonna be looking back on this passion project for many years to come. Everyone involved in this year long effort of a project dating all the way back Summer of 2020 ought to be immensely proud for how much their hard efforts paid off in the long run.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts here! 

Hope you enjoyed. 

#sonic and tails r #emuemi #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #sonic analysis #long post #dr eggman #sonic adventure #sonic adventure 2 #this fan project means so much to me #everyone poured their heart and soul into it

[sokkastyles]

You might have talked about this before but after reading a lot of your (really insightful) thoughts on A:TLA and Zutara, I was wondering what your opinion is on the "Would a Zutara kiss have worked in the finale" question? I can understand the feeling behind maybe thinking it'd feel rushed or "forced" but I also know that canon ships have happily sailed on a lot less development than ZK (*cough*), especially considering ZK spend 90% of the finale together, beat Azula together, and mutually saved each other lives', y'know? I don't know, part of me feels like the general/casual audience would've been good with it, it'd just be the ship fandoms up in flames about it if they'd had the spine to do it.

Hi! Thank you! I haven’t talked about it, mostly because I’m not that interested in seeing them kiss onscreen. I’m not the kind of person who cares one way or the other whether what I ship becomes canon. I ship based on whether I see chemistry between characters and whether there is a story there to explore, not whether or not they are likely to get together onscreen. I’m also an adult so I am more interested in relationship dynamics than physical intimacy between adolescent characters. I teach middle school and I have taught high school, I look at these kids and I don’t think any of them are old enough to be dating (although kids do it anyway) much less finding their forever partner.

I actually would have preferred no kiss and an ending that focused on the gaang as friends to the ka kiss we got. And if you can imagine that for a second, you can see where ka goes wrong as a ship, because without the endgame kiss, we leave Katara and Aang on a particularly weird note narrative-wise, because their relationship and Aang’s crush on her becomes a loose plot thread, and the last time they interacted they were fighting. The last time Zuko and Katara interacted, on the other hand, left them closer than ever, and was a resolution to their arc. I feel like that’s part of why the ka kiss feels so rushed and awkward, because it’s like the writers realized that they needed to close that plot thread somehow. A kiss was necessary for ka because of the way the writers wrote themselves into a hole, and the kiss wasn’t enough to get them out of it, either. A kiss was also narratively necessary to make Zuko’s relationship with Mai endgame because I, everyone else in the audience, the show, and Zuko literally forgot about Mai up until that point, and it feels even more forced. But a kiss would not be necessary for zutara because the emotional energy between them speaks for itself.

That said, if I could imagine an ending with a zutara kiss, Zuko and Katara have tons of chemistry and I don’t have a problem believing that they could be attracted to each other given the emotional energy between them in the series, BUT in order to make a kiss work within the timeline of the series they would have to make their feelings for each other more explicit than it is in the series. The show definitely teased the ship, and I’ve spoken a lot on that, but it never moves beyond subtext. Even in “Ember Island Players” when Aang is jealous and worries that Katara doesn’t like him back, he never explicitly worries that there is something going on between Katara and Zuko, even after watching the play tease it, for which I am grateful because I really love the Zuko & Aang relationship and I definitely would not want to see any kind of love triangle angst.

However, there isn’t that much you would have to change to make Zuko and Katara’s feelings explicitly romantic. I mean it when I say there’s obvious romantic coding in many of their scenes. Katara and Zuko’s arc from the crystal catacombs onward is almost identical to a breakup and makeup arc. I joked about Katara being angry that she’s attracted to Zuko post “The Western Air Temple” but that’s because her feelings towards him aren’t that far off, she is mad because she did like him before and doesn’t want to admit it to herself. When he asks her what her problem is with him she makes it clear that her feelings for him are different than the others (”I was the FIRST person to trust you.”) A few tweaks here and there and the subtext could easily be brought to the forefront and developed to the point where a kiss at the end could work. What I would do if I were writing it is introduce it after the play. Maybe Zuko and Katara talk about what really DID happen in the crystal catacombs. (”Wasn’t it ridiculous? The idea of us as a couple!” “Yeah, haha...” *significant look of romantic panic*) Especially since the last five episodes of the show seems to do all it can to nuke Katara’s relationship with Aang. It would feel rushed, but not more rushed than the canon relationships (except Sukka because it wasn’t developed at the last minute) do.

The main thing that they would have to change in order to make zutara really happen though is to give Katara much more romantic agency, and her feelings take more precedence in the narrative. A lot of people can’t imagine Katara with anyone but Aang because Katara’s romantic feelings are never allowed to exist independently of Aang. Even Katara’s crush on Jet is meant to show how much of a nice guy Aang is, the purpose of showing her with Jet and Zuko in the play is for the audience to want Aang to get the girl. Even when Mai showed up in the finale my first reaction was “Oh they have to pair Zuko up with someone because Aang ends up with Katara.” It’s all focused on Aang. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because Aang is the main character, but if you’re not invested in Aang getting the girl then that narrative feels particularly insulting.

#antikataang #zutara #atla meta #katara #zuko #antimaiko